


Aberrant Attachment

by Anime_author



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Anxious Makoto, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kisses, Fluff and Angst, I self projected onto Makoto whoops, I write hurt/comfort DR fics to cope with the real plot, Kissing, Literally a five chapter hurt/comfort fic, Mentions of Death, Mild Sexual Humor, Panic Attacks, She/they Kyoko, They are in love shh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29390658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anime_author/pseuds/Anime_author
Summary: “So it came to me that maybe you’d need some checking in on,” Kyoko concluded. “I’m not great with affection, but the least I could do was-“Makoto broke down.“-make sure you were alright,” Kyoko whispered, before pulling the boy’s trembling body into a hug.~Or, post-trial emotional support evenings become a routine for Makoto and Kyoko— but misunderstandings, revealed secrets, and catching feelings were not things either of them thought would follow.
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 53
Kudos: 104





	1. Sayaka and Leon

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been dying to write a fic of these two, so in all honesty I couldn’t wait to post this. I’d planned on waiting a few more days (since I just posted yesterday), but my lack of patience decided otherwise, so here I am. Please enjoy my first ever DR fic <3

Blood.

It was all Makoto could see.

It had covered Sayaka’s body, helpless and dead. It had splattered all across the execution chamber, as Leon’s cries of agony filled his ears. And it stayed with him now, as he furiously scrubbed his jacket under the sink in his bathroom, stains caused by giving Sayaka a final hug and standing just a bit too close to the cage during Leon’s execution barely leaving the cloth.

When Monokuma’s voice finally boomed over the P.A. system announcing curfew, Makoto decided that a blood stained jacket was at least a bit better than having hands raw with friction burn.

Now in nothing but boxers and a t-shirt (the same one he always wore under his jacket, gray, with the logo of some band that had played at a music festival he went to with his sister a year or two back,) Makoto flopped backwards onto his unmade dorm bed.

He inhaled sharply.

And he cried. 

He cried harder than he was sure he ever had in his life.

The idea of a killing game was scary, but actually participating in a killing game— actually watching your friends get brutally murdered in front of you, actually discovering their bodies— now that was flat out terrifying.

Sayaka was just a girl. Sure, she was sort of a celebrity— an idol at that— but she was only seventeen. She didn’t know about the trials or any of the consequences her classmates would have to face.

She had just wanted freedom.

Leon’s execution had been horrifying to watch, of course, but Makoto hadn’t known him long enough to grieve him the way he grieved Sayaka.

Never again would he get to hear her call out his name. Never again would he get to witness her smile. Never again would she make his heart pound, would she make his cheeks set aflame when she got just a bit too close to his face, never again would he ever see her.

Oh.

He had a crush on Sayaka.

And now she was gone.

So more tears poured down his face, and goodbye to the idea of not having friction burn, because now his under eyes burned from being rubbed so harshly that he was sure they were glowing bright red.

“Why me?” The boy whispered, curling up and hugging himself tightly. “Why me, why me, why me, why me, why me?”

He was freezing, he was boiling, his mind was running a mile a minute. Ringing filled his ears as Makoto took quick, sharp breaths, trying to make sense of the living hell that had now become his life.

What sounded like a couple knocks came from the door, but Makoto was too overwhelmed to tell. He trembled, eyes squeezed shut, as anxiety worked its way through his stomach and gut.

A few louder knocks now, and Makoto covered his ears in fear. 

_Whoever was out there was going to kill him._

The thought echoed in his mind as Makoto’s breathing sped up more than it already had. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move-

The door slammed open, shocking the boy back to reality. Freezing in place, Makoto inhaled sharply, preparing himself to meet the eyes of his killer.

But instead, two arms made their way under his, lifting him to his knees before bringing him into one of the gentlest hugs he’d ever felt.

And then Makoto was crying again, softly this time, as the mystery person ran their fingers through his hair.

_Who...is this?_ Makoto wondered. _Why are they here? What business do they have with me?_

The person shifted their position a bit, so they were on their knees as well, one arm around Makoto’s lower back and the other still resting on his head.

Breathing slowing down, Makoto smiled into the mystery person’s shoulder, grip on them loosening just a bit.

_How...how did they get in my room? Who are they? What is this?_

...All things Makoto _should_ have been thinking, and if his mind wasn’t swarming with the pure happiness of the only feeling of peace he’d exhibited since he set foot into this killing game, he probably would have.

“Thank you,” Makoto whispered, lowering his chin so his forehead met his mysterious comforter’s shoulder instead.

“Of course.”

A voice.

A _girl’s_ voice.

Eyes filled with a mix of panic and embarrassment, Makoto slowly lifted his head to meet two purple eyes.

Kyoko Kirigiri sat in front of him, arms wrapped around him in a now awkward half-hug.

“Sorry for barging in like this,” they said casually, eyes never leaving Makoto’s.

A moment of silence.

And then Makoto had jumped ten feet away from her, arms flailing in an attempt to cover himself up to a presentable extent.

“K-Kirigiri I-“ He stammered, back hitting his bed frame and making him flinch.

“You can calm down Naegi,” the girl sighed, pulling her legs up onto the bed fully so she could face Makoto comfortably. “This encounter is between you and me, and I intend on keeping it that way.”

Makoto swallowed thickly. “Okay…” He replied, hesitance still prominent in his voice. “So, how’d you get in my room? And what are you doing here?”

Kyoko chuckled quietly, resulting in Makoto’s cheeks burning up out of embarrassment.

“Well to answer the first question…” They said, and Makoto watched them rummage through the right pocket of their jacket.

A few seconds later the girl held up a monopad, and Makoto moved a few inches towards her in an attempt to make out the name on the now lit up screen.

_Makoto Naegi_ , it read.

Makoto’s eyes widened. 

“B-but how? I have mine right here!” The boy reached over to his night stand, and Kyoko watched him with an eyebrow raised as he clumsily pulled the monopad that had sat beside his bed towards himself.

But as the screen lit up, something clicked in Makoto’s mind.

_Sayaka Maizono_ , the text read.

“...Sayaka and I...we never switched back,” he murmured in understanding, glancing up at Kyoko who nodded.

“Precisely,” they confirmed, handing Makoto his monopad. “This is Maizono’s room, Naegi. It’s been unlocked since this morning.”

“I must’ve been so exhausted that I stumbled back into this room by mistake,” Makoto murmured, more to himself than to Kyoko.

“That’s the conclusion I’ve come to too,” the girl finished, tucking Makoto’s monopad back into her pocket. 

Makoto nodded dumbly, before shaking his head. “B-but wait, that still doesn’t answer my other question. What _are_ you doing here?” He asked, suddenly very aware of the fact that he was in his underwear, sitting across from a girl on his dead crush’s bed.

...Well when he said it that way, it sounded even worse than it did in his head.

But before he could think on it too much, Kyoko spoke up.

“I wanted to check in on you.”

Makoto froze. “On _me_?” He repeated. Kyoko nodded.

“I’ve been observing your relationship with Maizono from the day we awoke in this horrid institution,” they admitted, as if it were nothing. “I suppose I have a habit of being overly observant. My apologies if that came off more stalker-ish than I intended.”

Makoto let out a small chuckle, glancing down in embarrassment when Kyoko continued speaking and didn’t bother to return it.

“It seemed to me that you and her were familiar with each other already. You appeared to be quite close for strangers, so I couldn’t help but assume that you two were friends, possibly even...lovers?”

Makoto practically jumped five feet in the air upon hearing Kyoko’s words.

“W-we were just friends, really,” Makoto replied awkwardly, but with her emotionless appearance, he couldn’t tell if any of what he was saying was getting through to Kyoko at all.

“Well be it friends or lovers,” Kyoko resumed, “the relationship you two had was the only thing you were hanging onto, wasn’t it?”

Makoto bit his lip, visibly pained by the “was” and “were” Kyoko had used in her sentence, implying that all faith he had in finding a way out was completely gone now that Sayaka was too. 

“So it came to me that maybe you’d need some checking in on,” Kyoko concluded. “I’m not great with affection, but the least I could do was-“

Makoto broke down.

“-make sure you were alright,” Kyoko whispered, before pulling the boy’s trembling body into a hug.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Thank you, really,” Makoto smiled, now at least a bit more presentable (courtesy of Kyoko making him put pants on before heading back to his _actual_ dorm.)

“Like I said, it’s nothing,” Kyoko assured from across the hallway, fiddling with her monopad as she attempted to open her door.

With a content smile on his face, Makoto pulled down on the steel door handle of his own dorm, and the affirmative beeping of Kyoko’s monopad could be heard behind him.

But Makoto hesitated.

Why?

He didn’t know.

...No, that was a lie.

“H-Hey Kirigiri,” he called suddenly, turning on his heel before the girl could enter her dorm.

Kyoko turned their head slowly. “Yes Naegi?” They said.

“Was this a one time thing?”

The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before Makoto turned tomato red, processing his words.

“I-I swear I didn’t mean what that sounded like,” he insisted, arms flailing. “I just mean the, y’know, the post-trial emotional support bullscr- nonsense! Not that it’s nonsense, I liked it actually! But not in a perverted way, I-“

“Naegi.”

The boy’s ramble came to an abrupt halt.

Kyoko smiled.

“I liked it too.”

Makoto’s eyes widened, and Kyoko watched as he hopelessly tried to disguise his smile.

“S-so next time,” Makoto began. “Would you maybe like to-?”

“ _If_ there is a next time,” Kyoko shot back, before peacefully responding with an, “I’d love to.”

Makoto hummed. “If there is a next time then.”

They both shut their doors with smiles on their faces.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Before they knew it, and _far_ before they were ready for it, Chihiro Fujisaki was pronounced dead.


	2. Chihiro and Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up Naegiri nation? Welcome back— or, if you’re new, welcome— to my somewhat crappily written hurt/comfort fic. Not much to say today, besides Happy Valentines Day! I love each and everyone of you supporting me <333  
> That’s all, and enjoy!

Done.

He was done being the hero.

Could he even be considered a hero anymore if he couldn’t do anything to stop the killings?

He’d tried to be the hero for Kiyotaka, in those agonizing moments after Mondo’s execution. But he needed to stop playing pretend and face the truth.

Makoto Naegi was no hero. 

Makoto Naegi needed no hero.

Makoto Naegi just wanted Kyoko Kirigiri, because he didn’t have to be a hero with them. He could just be Makoto. Clumsy, anxious, and lively Makoto. To her, that was enough. And now she was walking through his doorway.

Oh. Now she was walking through his doorway. And he was in his underwear again. Why did this keep happening? Ultimate lucky student his ass, he had only met Kyoko days ago, and her Makoto had already managed to embarrass himself more in front of them than in front of some of his life long friends.

“A-Ah, Kirigiri.” Makoto acknowledged the girl’s presence despite the blood rushing to his face.

“Evening Naegi,” Kyoko responded, before sitting themselves right beside him.

The bed sunk to accommodate her weight, and Makoto suddenly realized that he was sitting next to a girl, on his bed, in his underwear _again._

Seriously, why did these things keep happening to him?

But Kyoko didn’t seem to be judging him too harshly as she sighed quietly beside him, falling backwards onto his pillow with no hesitance and folding her hands by her stomach. 

Makoto looked back at her in shock. Was she really that comfortable with a boy she’d only met days ago, let alone met in a killing game?

...Yes, apparently. Yes she was. 

“Kirigiri, are you...alright?”

Makoto’s words hung in the air, as a quite uncomfortable silence fell between the two who were not exactly strangers anymore, but still had not quite crossed the line from friendly to friends yet.

So when Makoto slowly fell back as well, head meeting the bare mattress beside the pillow Kyoko had appropriated, he was surprised to hear them give such a straightforward answer.

“No, I suppose I’m not.”

And now Makoto found himself staring into those eyes again, the same lavender ones that had looked at him with such little emotion after he had thanked the person they belonged to for barging into his room and comforting him.

Except this time, just a bit more emotion was visible.

There were tears, small ones at that, but still tears forming in the corners of the girl’s eyes.

Kyoko Kirigiri was crying.

And she had come to Makoto for help.

“Hey, hey don’t cry,” the boy soothed mindlessly as he sat up again, Kyoko mimicking his actions.

The girl shook her head. “Sorry, I just-...” They fell silent, as more tears ran down their face.

Makoto panicked. As much as he wanted to help, at that moment he felt if Kyoko cried much more he’d begin crying himself.

“...Do you wanna talk?” Makoto offered, reaching a hand out and carefully wiping the tears off of Kyoko’s right cheek.

The girl paused for a minute, before nodding. “Yes, actually,” she replied, meeting Makoto’s eyes for the second time that night. “I’d like that.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


How Makoto had ended up with a girl sobbing into his chest as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, he was unsure.

But here he was, Kyoko having lost control of their emotions before they could even utter a word of what was causing their distress.

So Makoto held her as he whispered mindless soothing words, forehead pressed against her hair. 

It was shocking, seeing a girl as expressionless and monotone as Kyoko let out so many bottled up emotions, but then again it wasn’t.

When it came down to it, all of them were just kids. Kyoko included.

So as Makoto murmured a soft “Shh, you’re okay,” it hit him quickly that Kyoko felt just as afraid as he did.

And the thought filled him with an inexplicable feeling of anger.

Somebody as selfless as Kyoko, who had gone out of her way to check in on him after curfew, risking her life to come see him, had done nothing to deserve this.

...Well, none of them had of course.

But at the moment, Makoto was completely lost in thought. Everything that was Kyoko seemed to fill his mind, and the feeling overwhelmed him.

The way her hair was so soft and silky, the way she clutched onto him so tenderly, the way she trusted him enough to let her _real_ emotions show in front of him-

And _oh_.

He was thinking about them the way he used to think about Sayaka.

Makoto’s stomach dropped.

He was _thankful_ while Kyoko was _crying._

So Makoto Naegi came to a conclusion.

~~He had a crush~~ He was a horrible person.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kyoko’s breathing had slowed minutes ago, but she still wasn’t moving from her position in Makoto’s arms.

A silence filled the room, but not uncomfortable this time, not at all.

It was easily one of the most comfortable silences he’d ever experienced, and Makoto almost felt himself dozing off.

Except Kyoko was speaking now.

_Listen now, sleep later_ , Makoto’s brain concluded.

So, of course, that’s what he did.

“Ishimaru,” the girl began. “Sorry, he was just...so _heartbroken_ over Mondo’s death. I mean the only friend he had in this hell hole—pardon my language—“ (Makoto chuckled a bit at that) “was being taken away from him, so why wouldn’t he be? But...”

Kyoko sighed, sitting up slowly, and Makoto felt his heart clench as he caught sight of their splotchy cheeks and puffy under-eyes.

Shoulder to shoulder with Makoto now, Kyoko took a deep breath.

“This pains me to admit, but perhaps Monokuma was right. Making friends here will only result in more agony in the end.”

Makoto swallowed. As much as he wanted to object, he’d be lying if he said that the same thought hadn’t been filling his head since Kiyotaka had screamed out Mondo’s name. In fact, he was positive he knew where Kyoko was going with this.

“You don’t want to get attached to anybody,” Makoto concluded, “because now that you’ve experienced Ishimaru’s reaction first hand, you’re afraid of ending up the same way.”

Kyoko exhaled. “It’s just...too much of a risk. We’re in a _killing game,_ Naegi. Our lives are constantly at risk. It only takes one wrong move and then…”

That silence again, back to being uncomfortable.

But this time, Makoto decided that he wasn’t going to let some measly silence keep him quiet.

“Kyoko.”

Shocked at both the sudden determination in Makoto’s voice, and the use of their first name, Kyoko, looked over towards the boy beside them with wide eyes.

Makoto stared back at her, green eyes glowing with determination.

“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep us safe,” he vowed. “Because...you’re my friend, Kirigiri. And at the moment, the only one I have.”

Makoto reached down to take the girl’s gloved hands in his, heart beating a mile a minute. He’d said it. The two were friends, weren’t they? He had Kyoko, and Kyoko had him. They’d get out of this place together.

But Kyoko jerked her hands away the second Makoto touched them.

A look of surprise taking over his face, Makoto watched as the girl stood up abruptly, clutching her hands to her chest.

Panicking, he searched for the right words to say.

“Kirigiri I-“

“I’m sorry I just…Goodnight, Naegi.”

And then they were leaving, rushing towards the door with their hands to their chest all the way.

Makoto watched the door shut behind her.

And oh no.

He’d fucked up, hadn’t he?

He’d gone too far.

Gotten too sentimental.

Forgotten their lives were still very much on the line.

Let his positive mindset get the best of him.

So now what? Was he on his own again? If the killings continued, would he have anybody to go to in his moments of panic?

Makoto didn’t sleep well that night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Hifumi Yamada, Celestia Lundeburg, they were all dead.

Kyoko had ignored Makoto during the investigation, claiming to have gone off and done her own.

And though he went out of his way to have pants on this time, Kyoko didn’t show up in Makoto’s room that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m already planning chapter three as we speak. I’m so grateful for all the supportive comments I got on chapter one, and I hope this fic continues to make you satisfied.


	3. Kiyotaka, Hifumi, and Celestia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again Naegiri nation, I have returned with a third chapter of Aberrant Attachment.  
> I have to admit, this is one of the stories I’ve had to most fun writing. I wasn’t super impressed with the way this chapter turned out, but I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it too! <3

He’d gone out of the way to make sure he had pants on this evening, but Kyoko Kirigiri had not yet arrived in his room.

So what did Makoto do?

  
~~Took off his pants and owned the friendship rejection like a man~~ Went to her room instead.

He felt like an idiot, knocking tentatively on the door of a girl who’d walked out on him last night without a second thought, but he and Kyoko had formed a bond that, under these circumstances, he was by no means ready to give up.

...But after a good minute or so passed by, Makoto came to the conclusion that maybe he was being a  _ bit  _ pushy, and he should just give Kyoko spa-

The door in front of him swung open, and there stood Kyoko in nothing but a bath towel, katana in hand as they thrusted it towards Makoto, stopping inches from his neck.

Makoto practically choked.

“What the f-??”

“Oh, it’s just you.”

With that Kyoko lowered the blade, letting out a sigh of relief before retreating back into her room as if she hadn’t just almost sliced Makoto’s head off.

“Um,  _ ‘kay _ …” Makoto said, stunned. “Can I come in? Or...?”

Kyoko sighed.

“Yes, of course. Walk into a naked girl’s dorm room like you own the place. Please, make yourself at home.”

Oh. Seemed like Kyoko still hadn’t gotten over the previous night— whatever it may be that triggered them in the first place.

“...I’m guessing that was sarcasm?”

“Yes, Makoto. If you’d genuinely like to come in, at least step out until I’m decent, will you?”

Makoto’s face flushed, finally processing how pervish he seemed at the moment.

“Y-yes, of course, sorry.”

And when the door was shut before him, leaving Kyoko this time to make herself presentable (seriously, the two really had bad luck when it came to interrupting at the wrong times), Makoto let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. 

Sure, Kyoko seemed a bit more... _ agitated _ with him than normal, but compared to what he was expecting Makoto concluded that that went well.

Very well actually.

So well, that he had apologizing to Kyoko successfully practically in the bag.

Kyoko opened her door to find Makoto anxiously chewing on his nails.

“You rang, your highness?” She mumbled jokingly, and Makoto visibly relaxed.

“Oh, good,” he smiled, more to himself than Kyoko. “You’re still being humorous with me.”

Kyoko shrugged, retreating into her room as Makoto stumbled behind.

“I have no logical reason to be angry with you,” they admitted. “I’m not angry at all, actually. Though I was quite stressed, so I was afraid you’d take it that way. My behavior was immature.” Makoto fiddled with their door knob, not understanding why in the world it was so hard to close their door. 

Kyoko hummed in amusement, which Makoto pretended not to hear— or maybe it was that he genuinely didn’t hear it, his mind too busy repeating Kyoko’s words over and over again, until it was the only thing he could sense.

_ I’m not angry at all, actually. _

_ I’m not angry at all, actually. _

_ I’m not angry at all- _

“Naegi.”

The boy stiffened, swiveling his head around.

But Kyoko just chuckled.

“The door knob’s a defect,” they informed him, sitting themselves down on their bed. “You have to twist it before shutting it fully.”

Tips of his ears burning red at the thought of how ridiculous he must have looked trying so hard to shut a door with a broken knob, Makoto did as Kyoko told him.

Sure enough, the door clicked into place, and the two were all alone in Kyoko’s room.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


At this point, silence was something Makoto was all but too familiar with.

...But still not equipped to handle. 

So as he and Kyoko sat beside each other, bed sinking under their weight as they glanced at everything but the other, Makoto blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

“I’m sorry!”

And then they were looking directly at each other, and Makoto realized that eye contact was even more nerve racking than silence.

Still, he continued on.

“I was dumb, I was. You said you weren’t comfortable with making friends here, and-“

“Naegi.”

“-and I didn’t respect your boundaries. I was just so desperate for somebody, anybody to look to-“

“Naegi.”

“-and I know that sounds dumb and I’ll probably regret rambling about this later but I’ve just been so  _ scared  _ ever since we got here!-“

“ _ Naegi. _ ”

“-You were right, Maizono was the only hope I was clinging onto, and now that I don’t have her anymore I just need somebody I can trust-“

And then Kyoko was hugging him.

So, Makoto reciprocated the action, buried his head into her shoulder, and cried.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


If you had never met Kyoko Kirigiri or Makoto Naegi, you would have sworn the two were old friends just by the scene in a certain girl’s dorm room.

The two embraced each other tightly, rocking back and forth on the dorm bed of a school for murder, both crying, apologizing, crying while apologizing, and being too sleep deprived to worry about the fact that they seemed like lovers.

But then Kyoko was pulling back all too soon for Makoto’s liking, and trembling slightly as she tugged at the gloves that had covered her hands for as long as Makoto knew her.

“H-hey, Kirigiri what-“

His eyes widened. 

Kyoko held her now ungloved hands out in front of her, palms facing the ceiling as Makoto examined them, hoping (ha!) his staring wasn’t coming off as too rude.

Burns. The nastiest ones he’d ever seen danced around Kyoko’s fingers and down her palms. What could have caused them? Fire? Boiling water? Makoto wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

“I wanted to apologize,” Kyoko admitted quietly. “But this was the only way I could think of to do so.”

Makoto shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the girl’s hands, and instead meeting her eyes.

Kyoko just swallowed.

“Last night…” she murmured. “I was torn. I wanted to befriend you, Naegi, but Monokuma’s words, the killings, they all got to my head…”

The girl pulled their arms back, folding them across their chest timidly.

“But then, you grabbed my hands and...I panicked.”

Makoto’s heart stopped.

The memory came flooding back to him, assuring Kyoko he’d keep them safe, getting closer to her, and finally picking up her hands…

Then the two were hugging again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


And once all was well again between them, Kyoko began to spill all her feelings over Celeste’s execution.

There were more tears, more hugs, and at some point Makoto must have dozed off.

Not that he was complaining. With Kyoko beside him, ungloved fingers intertwined with his, he felt the most peace he had in a long while.

(And if Syo barged in on them that following morning after they slept through the seven A.M. announcement, shaming them for “doing the deed” with each other while their lives were on the line, then nobody had to know.)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The peaceful feeling couldn’t last forever though, and soon Sakura Ogami was found dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our oblivious protagonist and his overthinker girlfriend, finally making up. I love the idea of Kyoko having showed Makoto her burns before she revealed them in the trial, and out of respect, Makoto pretended to not have known about them. Well, that’s all, and as usual thank you for reading!! ^^ <3


	4. Sakura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!!  
> I apologize for making you all wait for four days, I had severe writers block upon starting this chapter. I did, however, manage to work through it, and look what’s come of it! Another wonderful chapter (if I do say so myself), so I hope you enjoy it.

Makoto writhed on his bed.

The most recent trial had taken quite a toll on every remaining student, but Aoi more than anybody.

Sakura, her best friend, her lover (at least, that was the conclusion her classmates had come to), had given her life up just for them.

And once again, the crushing reality hit Makoto.

At any second, he or Kyoko could be the ones dead.

It wasn’t a thought he enjoyed very much— at all, actually— but it couldn’t help but flood his mind ever since his night spent with Kyoko.

He had walked out of the girl’s room that following morning with two things on his mind.

One, he was going to get the two of them out of there.

And two?

He was in love with Kyoko Kirigiri.

It was that thought that hit him harder than a stack of bricks, and now Makoto was anxiously waiting for his newly admitted crush to arrive at his room after calming Aoi down with help from Toko.

He’d lent her his monopad just this once, so she should have been entering his room any second now.

Entering, turned out, was an understatement.

No less than a minute later, Kyoko barged in like she owned the place, face completely pale besides the burning crimson dusting— no, covering— her ears.

“Kirigiri, hey!” Makoto called out, instantly standing up. “How’s Hina doing?”

“She’s fine,” Kyoko responded much too quickly, sitting down beside Makoto. 

Confused, Makoto sat down again as well. “Okay then...how are you?”

Kyoko froze. It was then Makoto realized that they must have been shaking, because their sudden stillness surprised him a bit.

The girl seemed to think for a moment, and Makoto watched as her lips creased into a line.

“I’m not _as_ fine,” they admitted quietly. 

Makoto nodded, unsure how to respond. “W-would you like to talk about it?” He asked. Kyoko exhaled.

“Sakura.” She said. “Hina was in love with her. She admitted it back in her room.”

Makoto’s eyes widened a bit, but he couldn’t say he was surprised. Wrapping an arm around Kyoko’s shoulder, he silently urged her to go on.

“We’re all…” A brief pause. “We’re getting caught up in the atmosphere. All of us. Falling in love while our lives are on the line. I get it, we’re teenagers, it’s going to happen. But it’s starting to scare me.”

They shook their head. “It’s dumb. I know it is.”

“It’s not dumb at all!” Makoto assured. “I’ve been thinking the same way actually. But uh...Kiri?”

The girl looked over, meeting Makoto’s all too familiar eyes.

He swallowed. “You said “ _all of us.”_ What did you mean by that?”

A pause between them.

“You know…” she murmured, never breaking eye contact. “It’s quite obvious who’s taken a liking for who.”

“You mean like Fukawa to Byakuya?” Makoto replied, a shaky laugh making its way past his lips.

Kyoko smiled a bit as well. “I suppose, but I mean requited love. It’s quite obvious based on the duos that have formed.”

“You mean like Ishimaru and Owada?”

“And Hina and Ogami.”

Another pause.

Makoto clenched his fists with anticipation for how his next move would go.

“And Kirigiri…?”

_God, please just this once, be on my side._

“...and Naegi,” Kyoko finished.

Green eyes met lavender ones.

But there were no words left to say. No, there were _too many_ words left to say, all of which actions would speak louder than.

Their lips were on each other’s in seconds.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kisses.

Many, so many that Makoto was sure he’d gone brain dead.

Both student’s jackets were on the floor as they kissed each other like their lives depended on it, weeks of pent up emotion finally being poured out as lips met lips over and over again.

They were just small pecks, but they went on for minutes to the point where Makoto decided he’d be fine with dying if Kyoko was the one who caused his heart to give out.

It was exceptional, to have fallen so deeply in love while in a game for your life. Makoto knew.

But the girl in front of him meant more to him than living. Because without them, Makoto wasn’t sure if he would have let himself live long enough to see this moment.

She had awoken the hope within him.

And he was going to repay them however he could.

So, after another minute or so, as the desperate need for each other died down— as did the kisses— Makoto pulled away slowly.

Kyoko’s eyes fluttered open, and Makoto watched as she blinked a few times, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

But before she could, Makoto took his chance.

“Kiri-...Kyoko, I lo-“ Makoto began, but the girl cut him off with one of the tightest hugs he’d ever felt.

“I love you,” the girl murmured, pulling him close. “I didn’t mean to. But I do.”

Makoto’s eyes grew wider than they had all evening.

“Y-yeah,” he whispered, awe still prominent in his voice as he returned the hug. “I love you too.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Tracing his finger along the outlines of Kyoko’s facial features as the two laid facing each other on their sides, Makoto struggled to process the fact that somebody as intelligent, beautiful, and _perfect_ as Kyoko could love somebody as average as him. 

But as they lifted an ungloved hand up to his hair, fingers massaging his scalp in a way so tender that Makoto could fall asleep at any second, he couldn’t find it in himself to deny it any longer.

He was in love with Kyoko Kirigiri.

Kyoko Kirigiri was in love with him.

_They_ were in love with _each other_.

Carefully, Kyoko pulled her hand away from Makoto’s head, only to lift it back up between the two.

Bare pinky extended, the girl took a deep breath.

“Promise me, Naegi.” She said, looking him right in the eye. “Promise me we’ll get out of this alive. With everybody we can, of course, but promise me we’ll exit this place hand in hand.”

Makoto smiled gently as he leaned forward, pressing his lips softly against Kyoko’s forehead.

And then, ever so carefully, he locked his pinky with hers.

“I promise,” he whispered.

The two smiled at each other, lips bare centimeters apart now, and just as they inched closer…

“Up and at ‘em, bitches!”

Syo stormed her way into Makoto’s dorm room, causing the two on the bed to jolt up in shock at the sudden disruption.

“Sy-Syo, I-!” Makoto stammered, but another voice cut him off.

“Syo! Ugh, Syo, I told you to leave them be.”

_Aoi._

The swimmer entered behind Syo moments later, panting. Eyes drifting towards the two on the bed, she instantly folded her torso in an apologetic bow.

“I’m so, so sorry, w-we were just in my room chatting, but then Toko sneezed and... _she_ came out. She started babbling on about how she’d walked in on you two the other morning and wanted to catch you “in the act” this time and...well, now you’re caught up I guess.”

“Aye, it’s not my fault Smarty McSmarty pants over there doesn’t know how to properly lock a door,” Syo protested, tongue dangling beneath her smile. “She’s gonna get ‘erself and ‘er pathetic little boyfriend killed!”

As the two girls in the doorway went back and forth, Kyoko tuned them out, eyes focusing at a certain scene beneath her.

Makoto’s hands were clasped around hers, preventing her burns from sight of the surprise visitors.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was those same hands Makoto reached out for as Monokuma dragged him to his execution, but Kyoko only watched, leaving Makoto to resort to pleading that she had a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, the wonderful confession we’ve all been waiting for. I’ve got to admit, I surprised myself a bit too with the love being reciprocated so easily. But the two are soulmates, what are we gonna do? I’m a bit disappointed that the next chapter will be the last, but I hope everybody’s excited for it! That’s all, thank you for reading <3


	5. The Final Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I honestly can’t believe that this is the final chapter. Thank you so much so everybody who’s supported this fic so far, and I hope you enjoy the ending you’ve been waiting for.

An hour.

They had only an hour until the trial of their lives (literally.)

They’d investigated every inch of the school, every corner and crack in the walls.

So there was nothing left to do now, but sit and wait.

The six remaining students were chatting, some crying, hugging each other and whispering last goodbyes just incase.

And in a certain boy’s dorm room, Kyoko Kirigiri held Makoto Naegi lovingly in her arms as the boy trembled silently, still shaken up over his death scare (to say nothing of the thought that the upcoming trial determined whether he live and escape, or die in this horrid murder fest.)

“I’m sorry, Naegi,” the girl whispered, running their fingers through Makoto’s messy hair. “It was selfish of me to put you in that position. I was so focused on keeping everyone safe, that I didn’t take time to consider how you might feel.”

Makoto responded with a shaky chuckle. “I’ve told you Kiri, it’s fine. That’s behind us now.”

Kyoko hummed quietly, and Makoto could tell that his assurance hadn’t done anything to make her forgive herself.

So the two sat in silence once again, Makoto’s shaking eventually beginning to slow. They now had less than an hour to spend what may be their last time spent together. How were they supposed to act?

“...Makoto,” Kyoko whispered after a while, fingers combing through his hair coming to a pause.

Makoto tilted his head, looking up and her with wide eyes. 

She’d never used his given name before.

The girl swallowed. “Can I call you that? Makoto?”

Makoto smiled softly, and for the first time that afternoon, he momentarily forgot about their current situation.

“Of course, Kyoko,” he replied, shifting fully so he faced them as he cupped their right cheek with his hand.

Kyoko nuzzled into his touch tentatively, and Makoto swore that if this trial didn’t kill him, Kyoko would.

Damn it, he shouldn’t be thinking things like that.

Kyoko shut her eyes, leaving herself completely vulnerable and relaxed in front of Makoto. She— quite literally— trusted him with her life at this point, and somewhere along the way, she had realized that Makoto would never betray her trust the way some people had.

The way her  _ father  _ had.

Leaving her to fend for herself, completely giving up on her and barely batting an eyelash as he walked away.

And-  _ oh _ .

That’s exactly what she had done to Makoto just hours ago, wasn’t it?

Kyoko bit her cheek.

Must run in the family.

“-oko, hey, Kyoko?” 

Makoto’s soft calls of her name quickly caught the detective’s attention, and blinking a few times, she met his eyes.

He seemed...worried.

“H-hey, don’t cry,” Makoto soothed, planting his hands on Kyoko’s face as he thumbed away their tears.

It was only then Kyoko acknowledged the droplets rolling down her face.

Yet she proceeded to cry harder.

“I’m just like him,” she admitted with a strained whisper. “No matter how much I try to deny it, he’s still half of me. I’ll always be just as bad as him.”

Him?

Makoto thought for a moment, before it clicked in his head.

The box of bones, Kyoko’s unphased reaction to it, he had thought that maybe it genuinely hadn’t bothered her…

...But it had been eating away at her this whole time.

“Kyoko, no,” the boy soothed, pulling her into his arms. They simply shook their head against Makoto’s chest.

“I’ve spent so much time hating him, but in the end I ended up just like him.” Kyoko choked on a sob. “I haven’t trusted anybody since he left me, but then I met you Makoto. And I betrayed you the same way he betrayed me.”

Makoto grabbed Kyoko’s hands in his, shocking the girl as she looked up.

“You’re nothing like him, Kyoko,” he stated, nothing but pure confidence in his eyes.

The girl bit her lip. “But I-“

“You’re forgetting one very important detail,” Makoto whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

“You came back for me.”

A brief moment of silence.

And then Kyoko was crying even harder than before.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was about a half hour later when Monokuma’s voice came booming over the monitors, startling Kyoko— who had been asleep in Makoto’s arms— awake.

“Why hello my little ultimates!” The bear greeted in his signature spine-chilling voice. “It seems that it’s about time for the long-awaited class trial! What a coincidence! You know what I always say, get out of bed, and keep your head! Disobey what said, and wind up dead! ...Yes I’m aware I never say that  _ Asahina _ , the point was for it to scare you shitless and get you off of your asses and into the elevator! ...Oh for  _ goodness sake _ , I don’t care if it sounded more ridiculous than terrifying, just get up and get in the elevator  _ now _ ! Monokuma, out.”

The monitor was black once more.

“...Well I guess that’s our cue to get going,” Kyoko observed groggily.

Makoto sighed.

“Hey, Kyoko?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

A light pressure met the boy’s lips, and before he could reciprocate the action, it was gone, as if it hadn’t happened at all.

“I’ll kiss you until you’re breathless once we get out of here,” Kyoko promised, and Makoto found himself blushing at the comment. “But for now, we have to get through this trial.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” the boy chuckled.

Kyoko heard the silent “ _ hopefully _ ” all too well.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Stepping out of the elevator, the two lovers stared ahead at the trial setup before them.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Aoi murmured, shaking as she clung onto Kyoko’s free arm.

“Ah, quit your panicking. It ain’t nothing to worry about,” Syo hissed from her place beside Byakuya. “We already got plenty a’ clues and whatnot. Now hurry up and get on with this shit!”

Quiet muttering filled the trial room as the six remaining students began filing into their podiums.

And with one final squeeze, Kyoko felt Makoto’s fingers slip from hers, the last physical contact she might ever have with him,  _ over _ .

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Crying.

Tears, so many tears.

But for the first time in weeks…

They were happy ones.

Six ultimates— well,  _ five _ , Byakuya wasn’t exactly the emotional type— bent over crying.

As the group hug that had been formed absent-mindedly at some point began to disband, Makoto found Kyoko once again.

As if in sync, the two pressed their foreheads together, choked laughs harmonizing with one another.

“Wasn’t I promised kisses until I was breathless?” Makoto pointed out, a shaky chuckle following.

Kyoko just laughed. A pure, tender, and  _ real  _ laugh.

The first Makoto had ever heard from her.

“Yes, I suppose you were,” they replied, a shy smile on their face. “You’re still holding me to it, yes?”

“You know it,” Makoto managed to get out, before Kyoko’s lips were on his.

If the ear piercing shout of “Oh, get a room you two!” from Toko as she timidly hid behind Byakuya was the last thing the two heard before tuning everyone out, hands running up and down each other’s bodies as their tears mixed together, the two figured that things weren’t exactly going to change when it came to their classmate’s personalities.

But that was alright.

Because it was time to put aside the conditions in which their aberrant attachment ensued.

It was time to start a new chapter. One filled with hope, not despair.

And how would they start?

Well, Makoto was still breathing, now wasn’t he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap! Hard to believe it’s over, but I’m so grateful to everybody who’s been leaving such sweet comments, or even taking their time to leave kudos. I enjoyed writing this fic very, *very* much— courtesy of naegiri being one of my top five favorite ships. I simply wanted an excuse to let them have emotions and a relationship build up, so voilà, this was created. I definitely did not expect all the support it’s gotten, so I could not be more thankful. Well, as usual, thank you so, so much for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Well damn, that got emotional quite quickly. Future chapters will be added soon enough, so don’t worry. For now, thank you so much for reading!


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